Mary (Tucky) Thompson

Tucky will be greatly missed by the RSCM Carolina Course for Girls & Adults. She was instrumental in establishing that course in 1996 and served as registrar for several years. She became registrar again in 2011 when the course underwent new management. Tucky was an avid handbell ringer and sang in several church choirs over the years, most recently for Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Southern Pines.

She leaves behind a daughter, Stephanie Boswell and husband, Hunter, of Durham, N.C.; a son, Michael Thompson and wife, Bridgette, of Lewisburg, Pa.; and a special friend, John Barrows, of Williamsburg, Va.

A chorister scholarship is being established in Tucky’s honor for the RSCM Carolina Course for Girls & Adults. Specific donation information will be communicated to the RSCM America community when it becomes available.

Tucky’s obituary in The Pilot of Southern Pines can be found here.

At the age of 17, David obtained his FRCO (Fellow of the Royal College of Organists) diploma, winning all the prizes and the Silver Medal of the Worshipful Company of Musicians. From 1981-84 he was the Organ Scholar at King’s College, Cambridge University, during which time he studied organ with Jean Langlais in Paris. The first British winner of the Tournemire Prize at the St Albans International Improvisation Competition, he also won the first prize in the International Improvisation Competition at Paisley. Subsequently David held positions at Hereford, Truro and Gloucester Cathedrals.

David’s schedule includes more than 60 concerts a year, spanning several continents. Deeply committed to making organ music vibrant for future generations, he enjoys giving pre-concert lectures designed to make organ music more accessible to audiences. In addition, he teaches at Cambridge (UK), frequently serves on international organ competition juries, and gives masterclasses at colleges and conservatories across the U.S. and Europe.

David Briggs is also a prolific composer and his works range from full scale oratorios to works for solo instruments. He has recorded a DVD, and 30 CDs, many of which include his own compositions and transcriptions. For more information, Please visit: www.david-briggs.org.

http://katiedickson.smugmug.com/Portraits/RSCM/20087834_zWmwWj

A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Mr. Ridgell began his organ study with David M. Lowry then attended Indiana University School of Music (Bloomington) where he studied with Marilyn Keiser graduating with a Bachelor of Music degree. Mr. Ridgell graduated from Westminster Choir College in Princeton with his Master of Music degree where he studied with Stefan Engels and in 2004, Mr. Ridgell studied organ improvisation in Germany during which time he was a finalist in the American Guild of Organists National Competition in Organ Improvisation. He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Rutgers University where he studies with Antonius Bittmann and Mark Trautman.

In great demand as an organ recitalist, workshop leader, and choral conductor, Mr. Ridgell has been a featured artist for the 2002 Winter Olympics, the 2005 National Convention of the Association of Pastoral Musicians, the 2006 National Convention of the American Guild of Organists, the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival (New York) and Spoleto Festival (Charleston, SC). Mr. Ridgell has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Asia offering concerts and lectures specializing in liturgical music, youth choir training, community music initiatives and improvisation. He is the author of several articles published by Liturgical Press and Church Publishing. Mr. Ridgell can be seen as the “Organist” in the 2008 release of the Miramax film – “Doubt” featuring Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, directed by John Patrick Shanley.

As a music educator, Mr. Ridgell has been involved with the Royal School of Church Music for over 20 years. Together with Gregory Glenn and Msgr. Francis Mannion, he helped build the choral foundation of the Madeleine Choir School in Salt Lake City, the only co-educational Roman Catholic choir school in the United States. In 2004 he founded the Princeton Girlchoir Alumnae Cantores. He has prepared choristers for performances with the San Francisco Opera, the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Frederica von Stade, Robert Redford, and EMI Records. From 2006-2007, Mr. Ridgell was the Artistic Director of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Bicentennial Concert Orchestra and Chorus with over 400 students. In New York City, Mr. Ridgell founded the Trinity Youth Chorus in 2005. Since then, this community-based youth choir program has grown to over 200 choristers and is one of the leading youth choir/community music programs in revitalized Lower Manhattan.

This year our music director will be David Briggs.  David is the Artist-in-Residence at Ascension Memorial Episcopal Church, Ipswich, MA as well as Organist Emeritus, Gloucester Cathedral, UK.

Our organist for 2012 will be Robert Ridgell.  Currently the Director of Sacred Music at the Cathedral of Saint Paul in Saint Paul, MN, Robert previously served Trinity Wall Street in New York.

We look forward to seeing everyone  July 9 through 15.

If you would still like to purchase a recording they are still available. Please see this post for details.

Lots of folks ask “What goes on at an RSCM course?” Well, lots of music and rehearsal time of course. But that’s not all we do. Our participants form a community together, grow with one another, and have lots of fun. This video shows a lot of the non-rehearsal happenings from the 2011 RSCM Carolina Course for Girls and Adults.

This video was lovingly produced by 2011 participant Makenzie Owens.

Psallam spiritu et mente!

If you were involved with this course please take a few minutes to complete our feedback form. We would appreciate feedback from all staff, participants, and parents.  (Update: The feedback form is now closed.  Please email us if you have any questions or comments.)

Sunday’s closing services at Christ Church and Hayes Barton United Methodist Church were recorded. A CD is available for purchase ($25) that includes both services.  To order a CD, please send a request stating the number of CD’s you would like to order and your address, along with a check ($25 for each CD), payable to RSCM Carolina Course for Girls, to

Update: CDs are still available for order!

Next year’s dates for the RSCM Carolina Course for Girls and Adults are tentatively set for July 9 through 15, 2012.  We look forward to seeing you there!

Click on the slide show to go to Google Picasa to see the full sized images.

You can send additional pictures to webmaster@carolinarscm.org

• The Brownstone (Holiday Inn):  http://www.brownstonehotel.com/
• Days Inn – Raleigh Downtown: http://raleighdaysinn.com